Syria Archives - Page 3 of 17

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A Neolithic shrine has been discovered in Jordan’s eastern desert.

Remains from Alexander the Great’s siege of Gaza have been discovered in a cemetery.

Archaeologists have found remains from the Roman period, including catacombs, in Elazıg in eastern Turkey.

A pair of “exceptional” mosaics from the Roman period have been discovered in London.

One of the iron daggers in King Tut’s tomb apparently came from a meteor that landed in Syria.

Smithsonian magazine runs a feature story on the excavations at Troy.

Bible History Daily has a brief interview with Monique Roddy as she prepares for this summer’s excavations at Khirbat al-Balu‘a.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the proposal that locates Sodom at Tall al-Hammam in the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast.

On the Thin End of the Wedge, Farouk al-Rawi reflects on his life as an archaeologist in Iraq.

Kasia Szpakowska writes about our knowledge of dreams in ancient Egypt.

The Mycenaean Atlas Project has added the complete Pleiades dataset, the harbor dataset from Arthur de Graauw, and the Topostext dataset from Brady Kiesling.

Carl Rasmussen thinks it is quite possible that Paul was sentenced to death in the Julia Basilica in Rome.

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the origin of the Philistines, Herod’s palace at Caesarea Philippi, and finding the Red Sea.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology this month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Italy, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A Phoenician plaque, a stone pillar and the remains of boatsheds were unearthed as a result of 2021’s archaeological excavations in Kition-Pampoula, Cyprus.”

A bronze military diploma has been discovered in southeastern Turkey.

A new study has determined that a mummified fetus was preserved through acidification as the mother’s body decomposed.

“Five Roman artefacts from the ancient city of Palmyra, a site damaged during Syria’s decade-long conflict, were returned to Damascus on Thursday by a private Lebanese museum where they had been on display since 2018.”

“Turkey’s mercenaries continue to systematically destroy archaeological sites and everything related to the historical heritage of Syria.”

Archaeologists are surprised that Mesopotamians were cultivating millet centuries before the invention of large-scale irrigation.

Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, “an internationally touring exhibition that made its world premiere at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in November” is “a feat of technology, its layered display creating an immersive experience without the use of 3-D glasses.”

Apparently one of the “secrets” of Istanbul is the “Mosaic Museum of the Grand Palace of Constantinople.” It’s now on my list for my next visit.

The Historical Geography of the Biblical World unit is accepting paper proposals for the 2022 Annual Meeting in Denver.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Charles Savelle

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Syria, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“An ancient seal thought to belong to a Hittite prince and an ancient cuneiform tablet, both dating back over three millennia, were discovered in Turkey’s southern Hatay province.”

“An iron face mask that would have been worn by an accomplished member of the Roman cavalry some 1,800 years ago has been unearthed in northern central Turkey.”

A study in the Temple of Hatshepsut reveals the production process for the reliefs, including the role of apprentices.

“Archaeologists conducting works at the Temple of Hatshepsut have made new discoveries in a subterranean tomb.”

Egypt has celebrated the reopening of the Avenue of the Sphinxes.

The Grand Egyptian Museum continues to receive artifacts, including 52 monumental pieces and 16 from King Tut’s treasures.

AramcoWorld has a series on spice migrations, including articles on ginger, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and cinnamon.

Russia has begun the long process of restoring the ancient Arch of Triumph in Palmyra after it was destroyed by evil people.

A fortress from the empire of the Medes has been discovered in northeastern Iran.

Two spectacular gold Persian reliefs, once owned by the Shah of Iran, will be auctioned by Christies on December 8.

Greek City Times has a review of the 18 World Heritage Sites in Greece.

A 2,000-year-old mosaic that once belonged to Caligula and disappeared during World War II was recovered in New York City after it served as a coffee table for 50 years.

Italy has launched a cultural streaming platform.

The New Yorker has a feature story on the latest discoveries at Pompeii.

It’s apparently not OK for American tourists to break into the Colosseum at night to drink beer.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Italy, Museums, Persia, Syria, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered 400 rock-cut chamber tombs that date to 1,800 years ago and make up part of one of the largest rock-cut chamber tomb necropolises in the world.”

There is controversy over a renovation plan for the Bodrum Museum which would relocate the famous shipwrecks of the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in order to convert the space into a mosque.

The ancient city of Dolichiste was a thriving Lycian trading hub until it was partially submerged in the Byzantine period.

The tombs of gladiators in Ephesus shed light on our knowledge of the ancient warriors.

An Italian archaeologist who has been excavating in Turkey for 30 years is ready to retire.

“During the excavation of the now-famous northwest corner of Rameses III’s fortress from the first half of the 12th century BCE, archaeologists unexpectedly came across two more fortress walls covering each other.”

New exhibit at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis: “Writing in Three Dimensions: Myth and Metaphor in Ancient Egypt,” through November 29.

Personal letters provide insight into the lives of ancient Egyptians.

Archaeologists have made what they are calling a “sensational” new find with the discovery of a skeleton a step away from the sea at Herculaneum.

A Lebanese official has been caught with antiquities looted from Syrian museums in his office.

“Escape to the past and explore true crime in antiquity during a free week-long online experience of the Getty Villa Museum’s annual College Night.”

Leon Mauldin has recently returned from a tour of Greece and Turkey, and he shares photos of Assos and Corinth.

Thomas Parker, director of several archaeological projects in Jordan, passed away suddenly last month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, A.D. Riddle, Paleojudaica, Explorator, BibleX

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Museums, New Exhibits, Sad News, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The latest skeleton discovered at Pompeii sheds remarkable light on an individual named Marcus Venerius Secundio.

“A team of Polish researchers has discovered evidence of a well-planned Christian settlement dating to the sixth century in the ancient Egyptian port city of Marea.”

“Archeologists in northwestern Turkey discovered a relief on Monday depicting a war between the Greeks and Persians from the fifth century B.C.” (No photo)

A gouge in the eyes of a coin of Julian the Apostate may have been an intentional “act of erasure.”

Here are much better photos to go with the previously mentioned story abut Egyptians struggling to keep alive their craft of making papyrus.

The theater at Ephesus is reopening to visitors after being closed for the last three years.

Malta is planning to bury ancient cart ruts in order to build a new roundabout.

Jesse Millek asks, “Why did scholars choose 1200 BCE . . . as the year when civilization collapsed in the Eastern Mediterranean?”

The Getty Research Institute interviews Waleed Khaled al-As’ad, director emeritus of antiquities and museums at Palmyra and son of the site’s longtime director, Khaled al-As’ad. They also have a story about the history of Palmyra.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Andy Cook, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, Syria, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

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A BBC Travel special reveals the scientific explanation to the deadly gases of the Ploutonion at Hierapolis. The story includes beautiful photos.

Excavations are underway at Claros, site of an ancient oracle in western Turkey.

After several years of restoration, the warren of corridors beneath the Colosseum floor has been opened to the public.

My Modern Met tells the story of a massive scale model of Rome that took about 35 years to build. Unfortunately, the Museum of Roman Civilization where it is housed has been closed for many years.

Caroline Wazer summarizes a recent study about slave collars in ancient Rome.

Brent Nongbri has written a guide to bookshops in Rome in the first century.

Greece has announced plans for five new or upgraded museums in Chios, Trikala, Sparta, Thyrreio and Ermioni.

A registry of all archaeological sites in Greece is now available online.

“Russia has begun a project to rehabilitate Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra in its latest efforts to gain a foothold in the country’s vital sectors.”

A CNN video documents the restoration of antiquities destroyed in the Beirut port blast.

“Egyptian police on Thursday arrested a former lawmaker and 17 other suspects on charges of illegal excavation and smuggling of 201 Pharaonic, Greek and Roman artifacts.”

Two people died while illegally excavating near the Giza pyramids.

Episode 1 of Ancient Lives on the Nile premieres on YouTube on July 9 at 5:00 pm Eastern.

Michele Cammarosano and Katja Weirauch explain the value and use of wax boards in the ancient Near East.

“The Painters of Pompeii” is an exhibit of 80 artifacts and artworks shown exclusively by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art from June 26 to October 17.

I found Bryan Windle’s interview of Mark Wilson to be very interesting and helpful.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ferrell Jenkins, Gordon Franz, Charles Savelle, Alexander Schick, Explorator, Paleojudaica, Chris McKinny

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Museums, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup